The bar, made from chopped wood, is seen at Edith Lucille's Bait Shop on Mount Vernon Road in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, April 5, 2017. The new restaurant combines retro decor and a casual menu. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Todd Anderson and Wynema Earl, both of Cedar Rapids, have a drink at Edith Lucille's Bait Shop on Mount Vernon Road in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, April 5, 2017. The new restaurant combines retro decor and a casual menu. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Sandwiches wait to be delivered at Edith Lucille's Bait Shop on Mount Vernon Road in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, April 5, 2017. The new restaurant combines retro decor and a casual menu. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

The men's restroom door is seen at Edith Lucille's Bait Shop on Mount Vernon Road in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, April 5, 2017. The new restaurant combines retro decor and a casual menu. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

A window booth made from wooden pallets and feed sacks is one of several enclosed seating areas at at Edith Lucille's Bait Shop on Mount Vernon Road in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Owner Eric Frantz used approximately 300 wooden pallets to create the booths. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

A features menu hangs inside the door at Edith Lucille's Bait Shop on Mount Vernon Road in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, April 5, 2017. The new restaurant combines retro decor and a casual menu. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Record jackets hang on the ceiling at Edith Lucille's Bait Shop on Mount Vernon Road in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Owner Eric Frantz hung the jackets to give the bar a retro feel, and the LPs are all on rotation in a turntable at the bar. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Cards and a cribbage game rest on a homemade table at Edith Lucille's Bait Shop on Mount Vernon Road in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, April 5, 2017. Owner Eric Frantz said he wanted the games to be an invitation for guests to hang out and enjoy themselves. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Homemade breaded cheese curds on a stick are served at Edith Lucille's Bait Shop on Mount Vernon Road in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, April 5, 2017. The new restaurant combines retro decor and a casual menu. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

A pulled pork sandwich is served at Edith Lucille's Bait Shop on Mount Vernon Road in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, April 5, 2017. The new restaurant combines retro decor and a casual menu. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

The urinal in the men's restroom is made from a keg at Edith Lucille's Bait Shop on Mount Vernon Road in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, April 5, 2017. The new restaurant combines retro decor and a casual menu. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

A vintage car painted with the restaurant logo sits outside the building at Edith Lucille's Bait Shop on Mount Vernon Road in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, April 5, 2017. The new restaurant combines retro decor and a casual menu. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Edith Lucille's Bait Shop is seen on Mount Vernon Road in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, April 5, 2017. The new restaurant combines retro decor and a casual menu. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

The "rules" of the restaurant are posted on the door at Edith Lucille's Bait Shop on Mount Vernon Road in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, April 5, 2017. The new restaurant combines retro decor and a casual menu. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

A "don't tread on me" flag flies from the roof at Edith Lucille's Bait Shop on Mount Vernon Road in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, April 5, 2017. The new restaurant combines retro decor and a casual menu. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Location Description

A brand new restaurant with brand new ideas, delicious food and creative drinks. Friendly,experienced staff always ready to help with your food experience.

When Eric Frantz saw a “for lease” sign outside The Rut Bar & Grill on Mount Vernon Road last year, he decided the time was right to get back into the restaurant business.

He had left the industry about a decade ago, but had never quite gotten over that decision.

“There are some people that are just lifers, they can’t get it out of their blood,” he said.

So he decided to open Edith Lucielle’s Bait Shack and Wing Depot. The eatery, next to the Lighthouse Inn on the outskirts of Cedar Rapids, opened in December, about eight months after Frantz started renovating the building. He did most of the work by himself; with a background in construction and in running a home inspection business with his father, he had the necessary skills to upgrade the space.

He broke down some 300 wooden pallets and turned them into booths and tables with rescued barn wood and corrugated metal also used throughout the space. The work on the building isn’t done — Frantz hopes to turn an expanse of grass behind the building into an outdoor patio seating area with space for live music and fire pits.

Named for his grandmother Edith and his wife Lynn’s grandmother Lucielle, the restaurant is designed to be family-friendly. The “bait shack” portion of the name is in honor of a restaurant he used to frequent in Atlanta, Ga., Lulu’s Bait Shack Restaurant.

“The idea is you can come here, get some night crawlers and maybe have a burger, a beer and a shot and then go fishing,” Frantz said.

He describes the menu as “American comfort food,” with classics like cheeseburgers and tenderloins alongside appetizers like fried green tomatoes, battered mozzarella and bacon-wrapped jalapenos. The signature dish in the pulled pork sandwich, made from meat prepared in a smoker behind the restaurant. A breakfast menu includes eggs, pancakes and biscuits and gravy.

The menu is small, which Frantz said is intentional.

“It’s small but focused,” he said. “We want to do what we do well.”

Above the tables, old record covers adorn the ceiling, with the records themselves tucked behind the bar next to a turntable. A fish tank sits along one wall and board games and decks of cards are scattered on tables throughout the dining room. Plates, bowls and coffee mugs are mismatched, sourced from thrift stores.

“I didn’t want to make this place cookie cutter, I just wanted to try to make everything unique,” Frantz said. “I really wanted a visual circus in here for people to absorb.”